FromOneAmerican.com
On May 21, 1972, "La Pieta" was vandalized by a
mentally-deranged person, who struck the sculpture of the Blessed Virgin
with a hammer. The statue was restored, returned to its location, and
is protected by bullet-proof acrylic glass.
On one occasion before, while being moved, it
suffered damage when four fingers of her left hand were broken. It was
restored in 1736.
The intended violence done to this historical work of
art in 1972 is here being compared to the violence done to an unborn child.
Michelangelo carved this famous work from a
single piece of marble in less than two years.
It was the only work of Michelangelo that bears
his signature, which is on a ribbon across the person of Mary. It's
thought that this may indicate his satisfaction with it, called "one of the
most highly finished works by Michelangelo."
Dated 1499, the statue was commissioned by a
Cardinal Jean de Billheres, a French representative in Rome, for the
cardinal's funeral monument. In the 18th Century, it was moved to St.
Peter's Basilica in Rome.
It depicts Jesus on the lap of his mother after the
Crucifixion.
Note especially the eyes...
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
In Springfield, Illinois, on Sept. 24, 2010, the original
cartoon of the Praying Hands was presented to the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Dr. Alveda King, who was in the city on behalf of the prolife movement, in
events co-sponsored by the Springfield Right to Life and the Catholic
Diocese of Springfield. Also instrumental in bringing King there, were
prolife advocates, Dr. Calvin Bell and his wife Deena. An ER
physician, Dr. Bell presented the original to King before an ecumenical
prayer service in the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception and the prolife march that followed. Dr. King carried the
cartoon that day when she marched with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the
Springfield Diocese.
Dr. Bell standing next to Dr. King
On that day as well, Dr. King received a sign with the words "Jesus was once unborn, our Embryonic Savior and the Fetal Son of God." The same words are on the sign held by Carol Muller of Petersburg, Illinois. Muller is standing in a group, rallying near the Planned Parenthood facility in Springfield.
The above cartoon is playing off the RCA Victor label of "His
Master's Voice" and a dog listening to a grammaphone.
April 10, 1977
April 8, 1979
↑
Christ has risen...March 30, 1975
Story With a Redeeming Quality
(Original dated Apr. 8, 1977)
(Referring to the idea of corn being knee high on the 4th
of July)
Let Us Declare Our Dependence
On June 25, 1965,
Geraldine Sheldon
wrote from the office of Rep.
Robert Griffin of Michigan, asking for a print of this cartoon to frame.
I received
this scrap of paper which is more than a scrap, as the cartoon on it
depicts the way an innocent child is treated, compared to one guilty
of crime: the child is subject to death while the criminal gets a reprieve.
While we may differ about whether there should be
capital punishment for a criminal, we should not even think of aborting an
unborn child, which is really a death sentence.
Abortion is a miscarriage of justice, and under the moral
law, a crime itself. Our law should be in accord with the moral law.
A "To whom it may concern" note, came from
a lady in Peoria Heights, Illinois, saying she received a letter from her
brother in Nashville, Tenn. She wrote that he sent her the clipping
"with the arrows pointing to Peoria Journal Star" so she would be sure to
notice.
While the cartoon was reprinted about three inches
wide, it's shown larger here so the ribbon that identifies the unborn
child may be read.
A guillotine, which here is symbolic of death, is seen
through the bars.
April 9, 1971
March 6, 1983
Site Last Updated on 03/20/16